More evidence that the Republicans are already FAILING

[LuckyTheDog]

Less than a week after the elections, the Republicans are already failing. They were elected to focus on jobs and the economy, not political witch hunts. If the GOP can be said to have a mandate, it’s a narrow one. And they are screwing up.

Republicans flexed their new-found political muscle on Sunday by promising a string of investigations into Barack Obama's administration, as the president vowed to make some "corrections."

By seizing the House of Representatives in last Tuesday's mid-term elections, Republicans gained the chairmanship of powerful House committees that can seek to embarrass the president by calling top aides to testify in public.

"I'm going to go after a lot of things and I'm going to do a lot of investigating," Representative Darrell Issa, who is set to take control of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, told "Fox News Sunday."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/republicans-flex-muscle-obama-promises-corrections/

[Turbineguy]

1. The Obama Admin

Needs to keep track of the costs.

[LiberalAndProud]

14. Well, we must reduce government spending, unless it's used to oust a Democratic president.

We must keep priorities in mind. Number one priority, no Democrats should ever hold political office. And your tax dollars and mine should be used unstintingly to that end. Got it? Good.

[Turbineguy]

16. Thanks!

I got that straight now. But if there are no Democrats in office I pay zero taxes, right?

[LiberalAndProud]

19. I suppose that would be the ultimate goal.

Issa's going to lower taxes so that the government will pay us to live here. Is that awesome, or what? We can be just like the bankers! Republican deficits do not cause problems, in case you were wondering.

P.S. Do be prepared to contract privately for your own roads, bridges, etc. There is a limit to Issa's utopia, just so you know. But never fear, we will borrow endlessly to keep our foreign occupations nation-building Democratization projects on track.

[notadmblnd]

2. So let's redrudge up Issa's dirt and any other republican's dirt

whose priority while in office is to embarass this admin- when it should be jobs and the economy. Who knows, there might even be some new dirt to add. I'm sure DU looked into Issa's background when he was doing his recall thing a few years ago in Ca.

[Bitwit1234]

3. He is one of the direst politicians in the House

he was arrested and then let go for stealing cars - and that's just a starter. He blamed the whole mess on his brother and it wasn't. I think we should all send him a message and say. If you want to start about Sestak, which had nothing there we have at least two outright actions by the republicans. And this is right off the top. Rove and Cheney who came out and TRIED TO GET two people who were ALREADY FILED for office to drop out. Phewlenty did but the other person wouldn't. I can remember the name right now but someone had posted it earlier.

[starroute]

15. It's not just Issa but a related group of Republicans

Below is part of a 2006 San Diego Union Tribune editorial that shows some of Issa's connections. Blunt was just elected to the Senate and Lewis is currently the ranking Republican member on the House Appropriations Committee. I've also tossed in a current editorial by Republican Kenneth Tomlinson using Lewis's corrupt earmarking practices to argue against him becoming committee chairman.

These guys who came up during the DeLay/Abramoff era aren't going to be able to control their own greed now that they have power again -- and that makes them very ripe fruit for investigation.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060130/news_mz1ed30botto.html

January 30, 2006

Three weeks ago, there was a brief glimmer of hope that House Republicans – shamed by the Jack Abramoff, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, Tom DeLay and Bob Ney scandals – would shake things up in dramatic ways.

So much for that hope. It now seems inevitable that GOP lawmakers will enact modest reforms limiting lobbyists' clout without doing anything about the much bigger problem of “earmarks” diverting billions of taxpayers dollars. And it also appears likely that in a vote scheduled for Thursday, one of DeLay's most slavishly loyal lieutenants – Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri – will succeed DeLay as House majority leader, beating out Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona, the reform candidate in the race. . . .

This lackluster approach to reform extends to San Diego County's Republican congressmen, Darrell Issa of Vista and Duncan Hunter of Alpine. Both are supporters of Blunt, the earmark enthusiast who has been a key facilitator during congressional Republicans' five-year spending binge. . . .

Now two more of their colleagues in the state GOP delegation – Rep. Jerry Lewis of Redlands and Rep. John Doolittle of Roseville – are in trouble.


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/OpEd-Contributor/Boehner-should-make-reformer-Kingston-appropriations-chairman-1489317-106855513.html

They are Republicans, but these notorious House appropriators are symbols of the Washington that enabled the GOP last week to score a massive victory at the polls.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif, the former Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, earmarked a million dollars to rebuild the swimming pool back home where he once worked as a lifeguard. He got another million for the Jerry Lewis Community Center in his hometown of Highland.

One paragraph in the definitive Citizens Against Government Waste study of earmarks and pork explains why Lewis has been under investigation by the Justice Department for years: The Small Biz Tech Political Action Committee paid $42,000 to Lewis' stepdaughter.

The PAC is led by the head of Trident Systems, a defense contractor that has received at least $11 million in earmarked funds from the Appropriations Committee Lewis chaired.

[caty]

4. Perhaps Isa should be investigated.

"California Congressman Darrell Isa made his fortune as CEO of Directed Electronics, maker of the Viper and Python car alarms. He may have spoken to you sternly if you too closely approached a Viper-protected vehicle, as it is Isa's recorded voice that announces, "Protected by Viper. Stand back." Ironically, he was twice arrested for auto theft himself in the 1970s, but never charged."

http://www.nndb.com/people/294/000028210/

Getting arrested once for auto theft could be a misunderstanding, but twice?

[vonarrow]

5. re: Republicans

The Republican Party has been and will always be the party of racism and class warfare.

I challenge anyone anywhere to argue this point with me.

One of the things TV media pundits don't know how to do is expose the individual Republican politician for what they are: racists who uses their positions of power to execute class warfare against the homeless, the indigent, the unwashed masses and working people of America.

Other than destroy Democrats, Democratic policies and President Obama, the Republican Party has one message and plan:

"The Trickle Down Theory" a.k.a. "supply-side economics."

This is Republicans' explanation and justification for extending the Bush tax cuts. Now THERE'S your "unfunded mandate!" Republicans Boehner, Cantor, Demint and the other cretins all continue to sing praises of supply-side economics despite the hard cold fact of history that supply-side economics doesn't work and is an unmitigated disaster for America.

"The Trickle-Down Theory" and/or "supply-side economics" IS THE SOLE Republican Party platform! It was Republicans platform yesterday, today and tomorrow.....it's a heck of a lot easier for Republicans to say they support supply-side economics rather than say the truth: Republicans believe Americans who make less than $250,000 a year are of a lesser blood than rich Republicans, and don't deserve what rich Republicans deserve. This Republican policy of racism and class warfare has always been the unwritten policy of the Republican Party. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (G.W. Bush's boy) was on CNN yesterday justifying his big state cuts to public education and healthcare in Texas. Over three million children in Texas have no healthcare coverage; when CNN asked Republican Gov. Rick Perry about those three million uninsured kids, Gov. Perry said (paraphrased) "Tough shit."

Despite over a dozen leading economists writing over a dozen best-selling books detailing how supply-side economics didn't work, doesn't work and will never work, the media still fawns over Republican politicians trotting out "supply-side economics" for everyone to genuflect to.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Welcome.

[yellowcanine]

6. As Mr. Issa wants to go fishing maybe we should mail him some fish.

Plastic fish of course, as mailing actual dead fish to a congressman is probably breaking some law.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. The media were willing partners in the Clinton Witchhunt.

They created an opportunity for a perjury trap.

Now, do you see Obama, why it was a mistake to back off from an offensive attack on these single-minded fools.

[Gold Metal Flake]

9. Hate sells in right wing America.

The pukes don't have to actually deliver anything. They just have to burn crosses and they will get votes.

[kysrsoze]

10. I don't think Issa will do it. Maher asked him point blank, and he waffled on it

Issa said Obama needs cooperation and support, not impeachment, "or we're all out of a job in 2012." It's just posturing to placate all the meatheads. In fact, Issa is the only Republican I know of since the election, who actually said Republicans and Democrats need to come to a compromise. But you won't hear that from Boner, Cantor, McTurtle and their ilk... the REAL devils.

After the B.S. with Clinton, I think they'll squawk a lot about it all. But I think they know starting a slew of investigations and appointing an "independent" prosecutor like shitbag Ken Starr would be political suicide for 2012. I can imagine this would be one of the very few things for which Gibbs might actually have something to say.

[vonarrow]

12. re: Issa on Bill Maher

You know, I like Bill Maher, but he is much like many pundits and politicians who get paid mega-bucks to pontificate on public policy but do little or no research.

What does that have to do with Darrell Issa?

EVERYTHING! Bill Maher was giving his commentary about global warming and the morons who deny global warming, as global warming denier Issa sat just East of Maher......Congressman Issa sure was quiet during this portion of Maher's show and was thrilled that Bill Maher didn't know Issa has been a very loud vocal disbeliever/opponent of global warming.

FURTHERMORE, it was too ironic Maher didn't know about and therefore didn't confront Cong. Issa about his incredible, unprecedented, vulgar and arrogant attack on NASA scientists on public television during a Congressional hearing on global warming. If Bill Maher had done a cursory internet search on Issa, Maher would have seen how incredibly bad and awful Issa treated NASA scientists re: their professional opinions on global warming. Congressman Issa treated NASA scientists as if they were political hacks who didn't give a crap about science. Issa moved one NASA scientist to tears. Issa's conduct was one of the most disgusting things I've ever witnessed on television. Too bad Maher didn't know this......and a lot of other things.

The NASA scientists were trying to explain the fact they have been tracking global warming for decades now, and that it very much is real. Arrested Person Darrell Issa took a great big Republican shit on those NASA scientists for stating their scientific opinions.

DARRELL ISSA:
Carrying a Concealed Weapon arrested in Cleveland, OH Mar-1972,
Car Theft indicted in Cleveland, OH May-1972, charge dropped
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (unregistered handgun) arrested in Adrian, MI, pled guilty 16-Jan-1973, fined $100
Car Theft San Jose, CA 28-Dec-1979,

http://www.nndb.com/people/294/000028210/

[kysrsoze]

13. Point taken. Maher has a great deal of faults, and Issa is still a chump.

However, Issa risks getting voted out of office if he goes wild with subpoenas.

[Historic NY]

11. Investigations do not = jobs only distractions. Boner did you fix things yet?

[gratuitous]

17. By MLK Day 2011, nobody's going to remember any GOP promises

They'll be armpit deep in the scandal du jour, and every jour will mean a new "scandal" ginned up to embarrass the administration, distract the easily-distracted popular media, and rev up the Tea Baggers. Yes, it will be demagoguery and pandering of the first water, but you won't hear two consecutive syllables against it in the popular media. Instead, we will be treated to a constant barrage of the deep thoughts of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey and (if he's not in jail) Tom DeLay about Democratic corruption.

[LuckyTheDog]

18. Only if we let it happen

We need to get the "already failing" meme out there and get it in people's heads NOW that pointless witch hunts were not what they voted for.

The right is good at this kind of preemptive strike. We need to get better at it.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

20. IMO, the Justice Dept should launch CRIMINAL investigations of Republicans who

--received tens of thousands in Big Oil "contributions" and withheld subpoena power from the BP Spill Commission

--recieved tens of thousands from Big Finance and then voted against financial reform;

--received tens of thousands from Big Health Insurance and then undertook to repeal Healthcare Reform.